Exodus Chapter 12: Lessons from the Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread

Introduction. Most Christians are typically quick to dismiss Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread as Jewish festivals. Yet, both of these festivals pointed to Jesus. The New Testament states that these holy days reveal the “shadows” of Christ (Col. 2:17). These “holy convocations” or “miqras” can also be translated as “rehearsals.” (Lev. 23:2). In celebrating these festivals, the Jews gave thanks for God’s deliverance from bondage in Egypt. They also unknowingly rehearsed for Jesus’ deliverance of all believers from the bondage of sin.

From this chapter, God reveals seven lessons. First, Passover is God’s appointed time to give thanks for Christ, the Passover lamb, who died for you to allow judgment to “pass over” you (Isa. 53:7; John 1:29). This day is a day to stop and remember the terrible sacrifice that Christ paid for you so that death would pass you over. Second, during part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Jesus was in the grave. Through Christ, you are freed from your sins, the “leaven” in your life (1 Cor. 5:7; 6:13-20). This is the day to flee from the sins of your old life the same way that the Jews fled from theirs in Egypt. Third, through the symbolism of the hyssop branch, Christ wants you to stay clean through the cleansing of His blood. Fourth, through God’s commandment that the Jews make a yearly ritual to remember His deliverance, all believers are encouraged to come together and Honor Christ’s sacrifice at least once a year. For the Jews, the Seder dinner provides a ritual to remember God’s deliverance. Every aspect of the Seder dinner pointed to Jesus. Christians also follow God’s request to honor and remember Jesus’ deliverance when they celebrate Resurrection Sunday. Fifth, through God’s warning that He would judge the Egyptians, He wants every believer to warn the nonbelievers of the judgment of sin that awaits. Sixth, through God’s direction for the Jews to flee Egypt, He wants you to flee from the things of the flesh that once held you in bondage. Finally, through God’s direction that the Jews limit the Passover celebration to believers, God wants you to treat the communion that Jesus offers as holy. He also wants you to be obedient in following His commandments.

1. Honor Christ For the Salvation Made Possible Through His Sacrifice. Ex. 12:1-13.

(1) The timing of Passover / Pesach. Passover was the first of three festivals. It is now observed on the 14th day of Nisan, which was historically calculated based upon the first new moon after the spring equinox, sometime in March or April: “1 Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 ‘This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. 4 Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb.” (Ex. 12:1-4). “Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.” (Dt. 16:1; Lev. 23:5-6, 11). The Passover celebrated that, during the final plague, the shed blood of the lamb allowed each family who acted in faith to have death “pass over” their firstborn child (Ex. 12:12-13, 22-23). To protect the poor who could not afford a lamb, the rabbis interpreted these verses to allow at least ten but not more than twenty to pool their resources to buy a Passover lamb. The Jews observe Passover during the month of “Abib” or “Avivi”, a Hebrew name which refers to the month in which the barley harvest was ripe. After Babylonian captivity, the name of this month changed to “Nisan.” (Neh. 2:1; Esther 3:7). The name “Nisan” is still used today. It was also the beginning of the first month of the religious calendar. It was the seventh month (eighth, in leap year) on the civil calendar. Both the changed name of the month and the beginning of a second calendar system had meaning. Both foreshadowed your “new beginning” in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Like the Jews, you also have two calendars in your life. You have the day that you were physically born. This is your civil calendar. You also have a day on God’s calendar when you accepted Christ and were “born again.” (Jo. 3:3-7).

The year of Jesus’ sacrifice. The year that the Messiah would be “cut off” was also predicted in Daniel, 483 years after the rebuilding of the Temple (Dan. 9:24-26 – “69 weeks” with each “day” representing 7 years). Thus, the Jews should have been looking for the Messiah when Jesus entered Jerusalem. The specific day was also foretold in advance.

The date and hour of Jesus’ sacrifice. God also gave the blood of His firstborn son to allow judgment to “pass over” His believers: “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.” (Isa. 53:7). On the 10th day of the month of Nisan / Abib, the Jews selected the Passover lamb (Ex. 12:3). On the 10th day of Nisan / Abib, Jesus also entered Jerusalem on a donkey with people shouting “ Hosanna in the highest.” (Matt. 21:5-9; Mk. 11:8-10). This fulfilled a prophesy identifying Him as the Messiah (Zech. 9:9). On the 14th day of Nisan / Abib, the Passover lamb was to be slaughtered on the ninth hour (3:00 pm), counting from 6:00 am. (Nu. 28:16; Lev. 23:5; Ex. 12:6). On the 14th day on the ninth hour Jesus also died (Matt. 27:45-50; 28:1; Mark 15:29; John 2:19). What day of the week was the 14th? Christians believe it was either Thursday or Friday. Jesus rose on the “first” day of the week. This was Sunday (Matt. 28:1; Mk. 16:9). He also made clear that He would spend exactly three days in the grave: “for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matt. 12:40; Jonah 1:17). Counting backwards from Sunday, three days and three nights in the heart of the earth would require that He be sacrificed on a Thursday, not a Friday. Friday would only allow for two days and two nights. Other Christians believe that He was crucified on a Friday because His body was removed before the Sabbath day, which normally happens on Saturday (Ml. 15:42; Lk. 23:54). How do we reconcile these verses? Both sets of verses can be harmonized if the Passover was a “special Sabbath” on Friday that preceded the regular Sabbath on Saturday: “Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.” (John 19:31) (NIV). Regardless of its actual calendar day, the Passover was a holy convocation where no work was allowed (Ex. 12:15-17; Lev. 23:5-7). Many further believe that it was a Tuesday when Jesus warned that the Passover and His crucifixion was two days away (Matt. 26:2). (e.g., Hershberger, Ervin, Seeing Christ in the Tabernacle, Vision Publishers (2010)). This again would be a Thursday. Also, being selected on the 10th and killed on the 14th would make for a complete week of seven days if He spent three days in the earth beginning on the 14th. Yet, this debate is not a salvation issue. Whether you give thanks to Jesus for His sacrifice on a Thursday or a Friday doesn’t matter.

The foreshadow of Jesus on the cross

(2) The unblemished lamb. The Passover lamb (the “korban Pesach”) had to be without blemish or it could not be used in the sacrifice: “5 Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.” (Ex. 12:5). Jesus also was unblemished: “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (1 Pet. 1:18:19). At the end of this chapter, God further specified that the sacrifice could have no broken bones: “nor are you to break any bone of it.” (Ex. 12:46). This again foreshadowed Christ. He died on the cross without any of His bones being broken (Ps. 22:17; John 19:32-36). To make sure that the lamb was unblemished, it was observed between the 10th and the 14th of Nisan / Abib. During this time, Jesus was tried by the High Priest and the Sanhedrin. But Pontius Pilot could find no fault in Him (Lk. 23:4; John 19:6). He lived as a holy sacrifice for you. In turn, He wants you to live a holy life without blemish or sin for Him (1 Pet. 1:16; Lev. 11:45; 19:2).

(3) The entire assembly kills the lamb. The entire assembly participated in the killing of the lamb: “6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight.” (Ex. 12:6). The “people of the community of Israel” were to slaughter the Passover lamb (Ex. 12:46). Jesus was also put to death by the people of the community of Israel: “Pilate said to them, ‘Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said, ‘Crucify Him!’” (Matt. 27:22). Yet, it wasn’t just the Jews who killed Jesus. Every believer killed Jesus with their sins.

Jesus the Passover lamb1

(4) The blood on the doorposts. After killing the lamb, the Jews put some of the blood on their doorposts to remember how the angel of death passed over the Jews: “7 Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.” (Ex. 12:7.) If a Jew applied the blood but did not believe in it, he or she would still be judged. By contrast, if an Egyptian applied the blood and believed in it, he or she would be saved. The blood of the lamb was available to all. Jesus was the door upon which the person must place the blood in faith to be saved: “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.’” (John 10:7). “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9). It is only through your faith in Him that you are saved. If you believe that your good works make you eligible to go to heaven, His blood is not on the doorposts of your heart.

The blood of the lamb: Source[1]

[1] https://heartofashepherd.com/2019/01/31/there-is-power-in-the-blood-of-the-lamb-exodus-11-12/

(5) The eating of the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The Jews were to eat the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (“maror”): “8 They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails.” (Ex. 12:8-9). Leaven is a symbol of sin because sin rises like the leaven in bread (1 Cor. 5:6-8; Gal. 5:9). Jesus was the unleavened bread. He was the “unleavened” bread because He lived without sin (2 Cor. 5:21). He also became our bread to sustain us. At the Last Supper, “Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.”’ (Matt 26:26; 1 Cor. 11:24). The bitter herbs reminded the Jews of their suffering in Egypt. They also remind us of Jesus’ suffering in having His blood spilled as part of the New Covenant: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,’ [Christ] said to them.” (Mark 14:24; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 2:24; Is. 53:4-12). Before being nailed to the cross, He was brutally whipped (Matt. 27:26; Jo. 19:1). Does your worship remember Jesus’ suffering for you?

(6) The commandment not to delay in eating the sacrifice. Because the Jews were commanded to flee Egypt, they were not to delay in eating the Passover sacrifice: “10 And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. 11 Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover.” (Ex. 12:10-11). Jesus also does not want you to delay in consuming what He offers you. This was the first of seven times where this commandment appeared in the Torah: “‘It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and the next day; but what remains until the third day shall be burned with fire. So if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an offense; it will not be accepted. Everyone who eats it will bear his iniquity, for he has profaned the holy thing of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from his people.’” (Lev. 19:6-8; 7:14-15; 22:29-30; Ex. 23:18-19; 34:25(b)). Christ rose before the third day so that His body would not be corrupted (Acts 2:27; Ps. 16:10). We can therefore eat the Communion that He offers from His body because it is holy. By telling the people not to delay until morning, Jesus was also telling them not to delay in giving the best of their time, talent, and treasure for Him. “But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”’ (Matt. 8:22). Are you acting upon Jesus’ calling in your life? Or, are you putting it off?

(7) The blood is the only means for escaping judgment. The blood of the lamb was not optional. It was the only means of escaping God’s judgment: “12 For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” (Ex. 12:12-13). Without the blood of Jesus, none are righteous before God: “[T]here is no one who does good.” (Ps. 14:1; 53:1). “Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.” (Ps. 143:2). “There is none righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.” (Rom. 3:10-11). Only the blood of Christ can save you from judgment: “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). The shedding of the blood at the altar symbolized the exchanging of His life for yours (Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22). “God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood.” (Rom. 3:25). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, . . .” (Gal. 3:13). What are you doing to thank Him? (Ro. 12:1).

2. Honor Jesus’ Sacrifice By Living a Life Without Sin. Ex. 12:14-20.

3. Honor Jesus’ Sacrifice by Cleansing Your Sins Through His Blood. Ex. 12:21-22.

4. Honor Jesus’ Sacrifice with a Yearly Memorial of Your Redemption. Ex. 12:23-29.

(1) The removal of sin in preparation for the Passover. Before the Seder, the host had the children use a lighted candle, a wooden spoon, a feather, and a napkin to find and remove any hidden leavened bread in the house. The family was symbolically purging the sin in their household. Today, the wife usually hides pieces for the children. When the children are done, the host wraps the last piece of bread in a napkin and says “Kal Hamira.” – “Now I have rid my house of leaven.” Believers should also purge any sin from their households (1 Cor. 5:7). This is the idea behind Lent in some Christian traditions.

(2) The matzos (unleavened bread). An important part of both the Seder and the Feast of Unleavened bread was the matzos or wafers of unleavened bread (Ex. 12:8). These matzos also foreshadowed the communion bread of Christ. Christ directed His believers to take communion to remember Him (1 Cor. 11:24-26). He made this request during the Last Supper: “Take, eat; this is My body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of Me.” (Lk. 22:15-19). Christians have different interpretations regarding how often to take communion. Yet, during the Feast of Unleavened bread, it was done daily (Nu. 28:24; Lev. 12:8). Jews still eat the matzah on each of the seven days. These unleavened wafers are pierced and striped during the baking process. The piercing and striping process symbolize Christ. He was whipped and pierced for our transgressions (Is. 53:5; Matt. 27:26; Jo. 19:1).

(3) The hidden matzo. The Seder dinner also includes matzo broken into three pieces. Together, the three “matzos” are called the “unity.” The three symbolize the Triune God. After breaking a matzo into three pieces, the host removes the middle matzo. He hides or buries this piece by wrapping it in a white napkin and placing it under a pillow. This foreshadowed Christ’s burial. When the Seder dinner ends, the host clears the dishes. The host then tells the guests that it is time for the children or guests to find the “afikomen,” the buried half- matzoth. Once it is found, the host breaks the matzoth into small pieces for everyone to eat. Jesus performed this ceremony during the Last Supper and revealed that the bread was His body (Lk. 22:19).

(4) The dinner pillows. During the Seder, the chairs have a pillow for guests to be comfortable to show that they are no longer slaves. This also foreshadows what Christ has done for believers. He has set believers free from their captivity (Lk. 4:18; Is. 61:1).

(5) The bitter herbs. The Seder was eaten with bitter herbs to remind the Jews of their prior suffering (Ex. 12:8). The bitter herbs also foreshadow the suffering of Christ (Matt. 27:26; Jo. 19:1). Yet, they also foreshadow the suffering of the Church as it is purified of its sin (Pet. 2:16-24; Ro. 8:31-36). Thus, don’t expect your freedom to bring comfort.

(6) The hand and foot washing. Also during the Seder, the host brings in a small towel and bowl of water for ceremonial hand-washing. This is used several times during the diner. This foreshadowed Jesus’ washing of the feet of his disciples during the Last Supper (Jo. 13:1-17). Again, believers must let Jesus wash the filth of the world from their lives.

(7) The wine. During the Seder, the host poured four special wine goblets. Everyone drinks from a wine-goblet called the “cup of sanctification, “Kos Yeshu’ot”. This foreshadowed the shed blood of the Lamb of God (1 Pet. 1:18-19; Rev. 5:9). During the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples that the cup of sanctification represented His blood. “This cup is the New Covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me.” (1 Cor. 11:25; Lk. 22:20). Four goblets correspond to the four “I wills” in Exodus 6:6,7, “I will bring you out; ... I will deliver you; ... I will redeem you; ... I will take you to be my people.” Each verse speaks to a part of the character of Jesus, the great “I AM.” (Jo. 8:58). The first cup celebrates Christ’s promises that His yoke is easy when you follow Him: ‘“I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,”’ (Ex. 6(b); Matt. 11:30). The second cup remembers how He freed them from bondage. Here, God used “I will” twice to confirm His promise: ‘“I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage.”’ (Ex. 6:6(c)). The third cup celebrates how Jesus “redeemed” us: ‘“I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”’ (Ex. 6:6(d)). The fourth cup recites the format of the lines that couples in the Near East would say to each other to be married: “I will take you for My people, and I will be your God .. .” (Ex. 6:7(a)). A fifth wine-goblet sits at the table. Yet, it is not used until the very end. It is called “the cup of Elijah.” There is also an empty chair, waiting for Elijah to come. This is done because of the promise that Elijah will come again “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” (Mal. 4:5-6). During the Seder, the children or guests make a ritual of going and looking closely at the cup, to see if Elijah has come and sipped some. One of the children or guests goes to the door, opens it, and looks for Elijah. Everyone then says, “Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the LORD.” This foreshadows the coming of Christ during the Tribulation. At the end of the Seder, everyone drinks from the fourth cup of wine. After one more prayer of blessing, which contains the phrase “Next year in Jerusalem,” the Passover celebration is finished. This foreshadows the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2).

The Last Supper2

5. Honor Jesus By Warning Others of His Impending Judgment. Ex. 12:29-30.

J. M. W. Turner 1775 – 1851 The Tenth Plague of Egypt (Death)3

6. Honor Jesus’ Deliverance By Fleeing From the Bondage of the Flesh. Ex. 12:31-41.

7. Honor Christ Through Reverent Obedience. Ex. 12:42-51.

Civil calendar

Religious

Calendar

US Events Jesus’ birth sequence
1. Tishri 7 10

1st. Ros Hashana – New year

1std Feast of Trumpets Lev 23.23

10th Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur

Num 29.7 / Lev 23.26

15th Sukkot – Feast of Tabernacles

A must to be at the temple

Num 29.12 / Lev 23.34

15th. If Jesus was born here

John 1.14

2 Cheshvan 8 11
3 Kislev 9 12
4 Tevet 10 1

If 15th Tishri, then Jesus conceived

Lk 1.26, 36 Elizabeth’s 6 month.

5 Shevat 11 2
6 Adar 12 3 14th or 15th Purim Esther 9.17-18
7 Nisan 1 4

14th Passover – Pesach Ex 12.18

15th – 21st Feast of Unleavened Bread Lev 23.5

16th to 6th of Sivan – Feast of Weeks 50 days

17th Feast of 1st Fruits = Resurrection Lev 23.11

8 Iyar 2 5
9 Sivan 3 6 6th Shavout (2nd) Harvest - Wheat Giving of the 10 Commandments/ Giving of the Holy Spirit Lev 23.15
10 Tammuz 4 7

If 15th Tishri John conceived

Luke 1.24

11 Av 5 8
12 Elul 6 9
Colors Meaning
Purple Jesus’ birth sequence
Blue Civil Calendar
Rust Religious Calendar
Aqua 3 Pilgrimage Festivals
Black Harvest Festivals